Madison, WI, March 13, 2018 –(PR.com)– Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin (LEBW) hosted its annual Crystal Vision Awards ceremony on Friday, March 9, 2018 at the Best Western Premier in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. LEBW was honored to have Governor Jim Doyle as Keynote speaker and Master of Ceremonies, Ms. Amy Carlson, NBC15 News.

Since 2007, LEBW has been honoring advocates of donation who have shown commitment and dedication to raising awareness and educating communities on the importance of organ, eye and tissue donation. The 2018 Crystal Vision Award recipients are: Dawn Lyons-Wood–donor family member (mother), UW Organ and Tissue Donation Volunteer and Wisconsin Lions Club Member & Lions Eye Bank Transporter, David Stedman–UW Organ and Tissue Donation Volunteer and Wisconsin Lions Club Member & Lions Eye Bank Transporter, and William S. Middleton Veterans Hospital Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation Committee.

LEBW was also honored to present the first annual Lions Legacy of Sight Award to Bill Conner, donor family member (father) & Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Advocate. The Lions Legacy of Sight Award is presented annually to an individual, outside the professional donation and transplantation community, who has made a significant impact in educating the public about donation and promoting donor registration on a state or national level.

In 2017, LEBW served more than 1,200 donors and families last year and placed more than 1,800 corneas with corneal surgeons in Wisconsin, throughout the United States and around the globe. LEBW’s purpose is to support donors and their families during their time of loss, facilitate the recovery of corneas for transplant to transform the lives of the visually impaired. Currently, there are over 2,000 people that are on the waiting list for an organ transplant in Wisconsin and almost 115,000 people domestically. The impact of 1-donor can save up to 8-lives through organ donation and save and heal more than 75-lives through eye and tissue donation. For more information about organ, eye and tissue donation or to register as a donor, visit www.lebw.org.

LEBW is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has served Wisconsin for 50 years. LEBW is the only eye bank established in Wisconsin, and the only fully not-for-profit organization recovering corneas within Wisconsin, protecting and handling the altruistic spirit of the gift of donation with the respect it deserves, every step of the way. LEBW is dedicated to the mission of helping those in need of a corneal transplant and providing comfort and resources to donor families whose loved one chose to give the gift of sight. LEBW’s Donor Family Aftercare Program continues to provide support, and resources to our donor families well after the gift of sight has been given. Donation is not the end of our relationship, it is only the beginning.